All Things CW: Ranking the Crimson Tide's Top 10 Teams in 2021-22

Even with football reaching the National Championship Game, this past academic year will not go down as being one of the best in Alabama history.

Was the 2021-22 academic year a bad one for Alabama athletics?

It's hard to say that when a young Crimson Tide football team won the SEC title, reached the national championship game and saw a quarterback finally win the Heisman Trophy. 

Perhaps the word "bad" is a bit too strong. 

But disappointing? Absolutely.   

Football's 33-18 loss in Indianapolis seemed to set the tone for the rest of the academic year as mens' basketball, softball and women's golf faltered in the end, gymnastics didn't make any significant strides, and women's basketball and baseball had late charges fall short. 

The Top 10 Crimson Tide Teams for 2021-22

1. Football

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Crimson Tide finished the season at 13-2 and as the Southeastern Conference and Cotton Bowl champions. It reached the title game of the College Football Playoff, but with both starting wide receivers and cornerbacks sidelined Alabama lost to the team it defeated in the SEC Championship Game, 33-18. 

Bryce Young became the first Crimson Tide quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, and Will Anderson Jr. won the Bronko Nagurski trophy as the nation's best defensive player. Both were named co-team captains as sophomores.

2. Swimming and diving

Alabama Athletics

Margo Greer's first year as head coach saw the women's team enjoy six top-six finishes at the NCAA Championships to place fourth overall and pick up the program's first NCAA trophy (which goes to the top-four team finishers each year). 

Alabama posted the top national finish by a Southeastern Conference school, finishing six places ahead of the next SEC program and more than doubling its point total.

The men's team  took 14th place, moving up one spot from the previous year and notching its eighth-straight top-15 national finish.

The men's team placed second at the SEC Championships, while the women were third. 

3. Track and cross country

Alabama Athletics

Cross country women finished 15th at the NCAA Championships, the men 27th, after going third and fourth, respectively at the SEC Championships. Mercy Chelangat was second at the NCAAs after capturing her second-consecutive SEC title, while Eliud Kipsang won the men’s championship. 

The Alabama men were 13th, and the women 28th, at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Bobby Colantonio Jr. won the program's first NCAA weight throw title.

The NCAA Outdoor National Championships begin Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon, so the team still has a final chance to move up to second.  

4. Softball

Alabama Athletics

Alabama began the season ranked No. 2 in the polls, but struggled down the stretch en route to a first-round loss in the SEC Tournament, and failed to advance out of the regional round since 2004. It was also the team’s first regional round loss at home.

The Crimson Tide finished 44-13. 

5. Gymnastics

Alabama Athletics

The Crimson Tide advanced to the NCAA Championships semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas, and placed seventh. Alabama was second in the SEC Championships, where it lost a key contributor due to an Achilles' injury during warmups, and second at the NCAA Seattle Regional. It didn't win an individual title at either meet. 

Alabama finished the regular season tied for third in the eight-team SEC at 4-3, 20-9 overall. 

6. Women's golf

Alabama Athletics

Alabama upset No. 3 South Carolina in the 2022 SEC Women's Golf Championship Match Play quarterfinals before bowing out in the semifinals. Polly Mack was the NCAA Franklin Regional Champion, as the Crimson Tide finished second. It advanced to the NCAA Championships, where the Crimson Tide was seeded ninth but finished last.

7. Men's Basketball

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Made NCAA Tournament only to lose to Notre Dame 78-64 in the first round in San Diego. Starting point guard Jahvon Quinerly injured his left knee a little more than three minutes into the contest. He was the team's second-leading scorer (14.3 points per game) and led UA in assists per game (4.2).

Alabama finished 19-14 (9-9 in SEC play). It notched wins against No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 4 Baylor, but went winless in March. 

8. Soccer

Alabama Athletics

Alabama made its first-ever appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded its first NCAA win with a 1-0 victory in the first round at Clemson. It lost to No. 4 seed BYU 1-0. During the postseason, Alabama earned a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament and earned a berth for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. 

Alabama set a program record for most home wins in a single season with 10 and topped two top-25 opponents in No. 19 Auburn and No. 24 LSU. 

9. Rowing

Alabama Athletics

Alabama rowing medaled in each of its five races at the Big 12 Championships, earning its third-straight second place team finish. Four members of the Tide's First Varsity 8+ boat earned All-Big 12 accolades: Darcy Jennings, Ella Kemna, Claudia Mecchia and Gianna Rucki. However, it didn't receive an at-large a bid to the NCAA Championships. 

10. Women's Tennis

@AlabamaWTN Twitter

The Alabama women's tennis team made the NCAA Tournament, but was quickly bounced by No. 21 UCF in Miami.

The Crimson Tide finished 15-12 overall. Alabama did score a late-season win against No. 10 Georgia, but that was the lone win over its last seven matches. 

Of course, that all leads us to ... 

5 Crimson Tide Programs To Watch

1. Women's basketball

Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Crimson Tide overcame numerous setbacks to win two games in the SEC Tournament, but was still on the outside looking in for the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Alabama won three games in the Women's National Invitation Tournament before getting bounced by the third-ranked shooting team in the nation, South Dakota State, 78-73, in the quarterfinals to finish 20-14.

Not only does Alabama return numerous players, but has bolstered the roster with key additions in the transfer portal, including Sarah Ashlee Barker, Aaliyah Nye and Loyal McQueen. 

2. Baseball

© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

Yes, this team should have been in the top 10 listed above. But despite numerous injuries the Crimson Tide finished 31-27 overall, and 11th in the SEC standings.

Between the final weekend of the regular season and the SEC Tournament, Alabama faced seven ranked opponents over 10 days and went 4-3. The late heroics weren't enough to get the Crimson Tide off the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, but set a strong tone for next season.

3. Men's basketball

USA Today

Nate Oats will have a very different roster next season, one that should feature more depth than this past season. There's legitimate reason for optimism, but it'll also be interesting to watch how it all comes together. 

4. Gymnastics

Alabama Athletics

Emily Gaskins, Lexi Graber and Shallon Olsen have all moved on, but new coach Ashley Johnston inherited a top-rated recruiting class led by former Nastia Liukin Cup champion and five-star recruit Gabby Gladieux.

Johnston was on the back-to-back 2011-12 national champions, but the Crimson Tide hasn't competed on the final day of the NCAA Championships since 2017, and has won one SEC title since 2015. The pressure will be on to get Alabama back to that top level. 

5. Football

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Let's just say there's a reason why every preseason publication is picking Alabama to win the 2022-23 national title.

Politics Looming Large in Numerous Areas

We make a point to try stay away from politics as much as possible, but some of hot issues around the nation are more than spilling over into college athletes, especially considering Name, Image and Likeness issues.

But it's not the only one.  

Everything from gun control, climate control and abortion rights could result in student-athletes reconsidering their college choices as USA Today’s Nancy Armour recently pointed out. 

“Compete for, say, UCLA or Illinois, and an unplanned pregnancy need not end your career, threaten your health or force you into motherhood before you’re ready. You will decide what to do and, should that choice be to end the pregnancy, you will have options. Go to a school in Texas, Florida and nearly two dozen other states, however, and your body will no longer be your own. … 

"Say a football player at Alabama gets his girlfriend pregnant while they’re at school. Unless one of them has the means to go out of state for an abortion, or can find a way to have one done illegally, that football player can look forward to, at a minimum, paying child support for the next 18 years.” 

This isn't to say that athletes aren't weighing such issues already, especially considering all those who have become parents before or during their time with the Crimson Tide. 

The guess here, though, is that negative recruiting will only ramp up and intensify, and it won't just be at the school and state level, but conference and region as well. NIL will obviously be a huge driving force moving forward, but most schools are looking for any kind of edge they can find in recruiting. 

In short, politics will soon be used as a recruiting weapon more than ever. 

Jalen Hurts Speaks Out 

The flip side to that is NIL might make it harder for student-athletes to speak out about how they feel regarding issues because the backlash could now include financial implications. 

Two years ago, Nick Saban helped lead the Crimson Tide's racial injustice march/rally to Foster Auditorium, where in 1963 the governor of the state made his famous stand against desegregation.

One has to wonder how many of those same athletes who participated that day would now have second thoughts due to fear of losing NIL deals. 

Meanwhile, on Friday in Philadelphia, starting quarterback Jalen Hurts made an eight-minute statement to open his press conference after an OTA practice (organized team practice activities) with the Eagles. 

“We have a lot of stuff going on in our world right now, a lot of unfortunate fateful things and events and deaths,” Hurts said per Eagles Today. “When I sit back and think about all of that - what’s happened in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, whether it’s a grocery store, a hospital, an elementary school. That’s no place for fear.

“Fear doesn’t belong in those places. Me sitting here a big brother, a big cousin, I sit here and think about…I can’t even imagine my little cousins not coming home from school. My little sister not coming home from school, my dad not coming home from work.”

The Eagles wore orange practice shirts to commemorate survivors and those who have fallen victim to gun violence.

“I think it’s my duty,” the former Crimson Tide quarterback said about speaking out. “It’s the least that I can do is try to bring awareness to it. We all know what’s going on. We see what’s going on, but it starts with every one of us. Change is made and everybody has their unique way to make change but ultimately what are you doing to try to influence the right things to be done?

“…I think one thing that’s been on my heart is really just appreciate everything you have, why you have it, because these are tough times we’re really living in. We all get to come here, come to work, blessed for an opportunity to come to work, but outside of this workplace, there’s real things going on in the world.”

Would a college football player say something similar? 

Could one? 

[Update: Saturday night there was a mass shooting in Philadelphia. Initial reports listed three dead and 11 wounded.] 

Tide-Bits

• They can be in different conferences, but Tua Tagovailoa and Hurts will never be able to completely get away from each other after both played for the Crimson Tide and replaced each other in big games. The new twist is that they're probably the frontrunners for biggest breakout season status, with Bovada having Hurts as +1600, or ninth overall, in its odds for NFL MVP, and Tagovailoa 16th at +3500. Both are listed ahead of Derrick Henry +4,500, while the "leaner" Mac Jones is at +6000. The Eagles and Dolphins also play Week 3 in Miami. 

Mike McDaniel said Tua is starting to let his guard down a bit and come out of his shell — with quotes like this, I believe it

Tua’s response to the criticisms about his arm strength pic.twitter.com/yAStXxSiqa

— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) June 2, 2022

• Did you happen to notice the lineup for the inaugural Devonta Smith Softball Game on Saturday at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pa.? It included Hurts, Jaylen Waddle, Najeh Harris, Patrick Surtain II, Mack Wilson and Shyheim Carter. Next year we suggest a team of all former Crimson Tide players. Proceeds went to IronPigs Charities and St. Lukes University Health Charities, but Smith noted that doing events like this outside of football were an important step in building team chemistry. It also didn't hurt (pun intended) that his quarterback hit a game-winning home run.

Jalen Hurts hits a two-run walk-off home run. Team Smith defeats Team Parsons 13-12 pic.twitter.com/xQEUitCWK6

— Chris Franklin (@cfranklinnews) June 4, 2022

• Last week, Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com did a special story for Memorial Day about the grandfather of new Crimson Tide offensive lineman Tyler Steen who died in Vietnam in 1967 while saving his fellow soldiers.

• Tuskegee Coach Says He Received Death Threats Over Nick Saban Comment

• The Farmer’s Daughter Who Helped Keep College Football on the Grid

• Speaking of Henry, he's at it again with his offseason workouts. 

Watching Derrick Henry do speed drills is unreal 🤯 pic.twitter.com/iSRuKU4Dbg

— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) May 29, 2022

Did You Notice?

• SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on NIL during a visit to the Paul Finebaum Show: “I don’t view that there’s going to be any solution out of Congress before the election certainly, and then we’re in an educational process on the backside of the midterms. … For us to have a national standard that’s uniform, [education of and from lawmakers] is the source of that standard. Whether it can happen or not, I don’t know. So, that promotes conversation about should we be more engaged at the state level for commonality? Should the conference adopt a policy? We’ve talked about that previously, but we’ve chosen not to go down that road because the dynamics are changing so rapidly.”

• In case you missed it, Purdue president Mitch Daniels wrote a compelling op-ed for the Washington Post on the trajectory of college athletics: "Schools comfortable spending huge donations on recruiting the best players — funds that might have been used to strengthen their academic missions — will be free to do so. When that happens, they should drop any pretense that these are 'students' and any requirement that anyone attend classes or pursue a degree. Offer education, as more and more employers now do, as an optional fringe benefit of the job. Only a couple dozen sports factories will be able to compete successfully in the pay-to-play echelon. The rest will be left with a Hobson’s choice between permanent also-ran status and dropping down into a further segmentation of today’s system, hoping that they can still fill stadiums and negotiate TV contracts to watch actual students play. ... My guess — okay, hope — is that such an arrangement can work. Meanwhile, I’m sure the new league of sponsored professionals will be highly entertaining and a huge financial success. Just please don’t call it 'college' sports."

• Why Does the SEC Remain Deadlocked on a Scheduling Format? TV Revenue and CFP Uncertainty

• CFP Chair: Presidents to Provide Guidance for Future Expansion Negotiations

• Coach K Calls Out Politicians for Inaction After Recent Mass Shootings

Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW appears every week on BamaCentral.